Gunmen storm LIVE TV show, take hostages

Armed gunmen stormed the live broadcast of TC Television in Guayaquil, Ecuador, creating a scene of chaos. The assailants, some brandishing guns and claiming to have bombs, forced the station’s staff to lie on the ground while shouting threats and warnings against police intervention. The terrifying incident was captured live on television, with sounds of gunshots echoing in the background before the broadcast was abruptly cut off.

The attack comes in the wake of President Daniel Noboa’s declaration of a 60-day state of emergency, following the escape of one of Ecuador’s most notorious drug gang bosses, Adolfo Macias, also known as ‘Fito’, from prison. Macias has been in the spotlight recently due to his escape from prison, which led to a state of emergency being declared in Ecuador. Macías was serving a 34-year sentence for organized crime, drug trafficking, and murder, which started in 2011​.